Trading methods have evolved from a manually intensive process to a technology enabled, electronic platform. Advances in technology are having an increasingly large and broad impact on trading and the way in which exchanges conduct business. What was previously seen as just a supplement to the traditional pit trading, electronic trading platforms continue to increase in importance and popularity. The advent of electronic trading has meant that a customer can be in virtually direct contact with the market, from practically anywhere in the world, performing near real-time transactions, and without the need to make personal contact with a broker. Electronic trading systems are also convenient for floor brokers on the floor at an exchange for receiving orders electronically.
Exchanges and auction houses that support electronic trading are generally based on a host, one or more computer networks, and clients. In general, the host includes one or more centralized computers to form the electronic heart. Its operations typically include order matching, maintaining order books and positions, price information, and managing and updating a database that records such information. The host is also equipped with an external interface that maintains uninterrupted contact to the clients and possibly other trading-related systems.
Typically, market participants link to the host through one or more networks. A network is a group of two or more computers that are linked together. There are many types of networks such as local area networks (LANs) and wide area networks (WANs). Networks can also be characterized by topology, protocol, and architecture. However, any type of network configuration, including LAN/WAN combinations, can be used in electronic trading. For example, some market participants may link to the host through a direct connection such as a T1 or ISDN. Some participants may link to the exchange through direct connections and through other common network components such as high-speed servers, routers, and gateways, and so on. As another example, the Internet can be used to establish a connection between the client and the host. There are many different types of networks, and combinations of network types, known in the art that can link market participants to the host.
Regardless of the way in which a connection is established, software running on the clients, or a server supporting the clients, allows people to log onto one or more exchanges and participate in one or more markets. A client is a terminal or computer that accesses one or more networks. For example, a client can be a personal computer, laptop computer, hand-held computer, workstation and so on. Some clients run software that creates specialized interactive trading screens. In general, the trading screens enable people to enter orders into the market, obtain market quotes, and monitor positions. The range and quality of features available varies according to the specific software application being run.
Trading software may also create specialized interactive trading screens. The trading screens enable the traders to enter orders, obtain market quotes, monitor positions and receive fill information, while the trader implements various trading strategies, including those previously used on the floor of an exchange. Such strategies incorporated into an electronic marketplace may improve the speed, accuracy, and ultimately the profitability of trading electronically. One such trading strategy is spread trading.
Spread trading is the buying, selling, or combination of buying and selling, of two or more tradeable objects, the purpose of which is to capitalize on changes or movements in the relationships between the tradeable objects. A spread trade may involve buying two or more tradeable objects, buying one or more tradeable objects and selling one or more tradeable objects, selling two or more tradeable objects, or some combination thereof. For example, the tradeable objects being spread may be contracts for different delivery months (expiration dates) of the same tradeable object, or contracts of the same tradeable object at different strike prices. But spread trades sometimes involve different tradeable objects or the same tradeable object on different exchanges.
Spread trading is usually less risky than other types of trading strategies such as position trades, because a position is protected where an investment is made by taking an offsetting position in a related product in order to reduce the risk of adverse price movements. For example, a trader might simultaneously buy and sell options of the same class at different strike prices and/or expiration dates. Of course, there are many other reasons for spread trading, and there are many known varieties of spread trading techniques.
With the advent of electronic trading, trading strategies such as spread trading can be incorporated into the electronic marketplace. However, the success of a trader who trades in a competitive electronic trading environment may depend on many factors. Among those factors are the speed in calculating what tradeable objects to quote, the speed in calculating what price to quote at, and the speed in calculating how much to quote. Because speed is of great importance, it is desirable for electronic trading systems to offer tools that can assist a trader in trading in an electronic marketplace, and help the trader to make trades at the most favorable prices in a speedy and accurate manner.
Sometimes traders also use a separate spreadsheet program or another similar program to receive market data feeds and to generate numbers, based on those feeds, which the traders can use to determine whether to buy and/or sell tradeable objects. Then, in response to the generated numbers, the trader can manually enter and execute orders into a trading application. Instead of manual order entry, some traders use a more brute force approach with often limited flexibility by linking a spreadsheet program directly to a trading application. Orders are then automatically entered and executed by the trading application based on the generated numbers. Use of spreadsheets and trading applications in this manner does allow traders to enter orders faster than using traditional methods of order entry and execution.
However, to profit in today's rapidly moving markets, traders must be able to react more quickly and assimilate an enormous amount of data. For example, a trader may have to assimilate market data, world news, business news, and so on before making trades. Consequently, a skilled trader with the quickest software, the fastest communications, and the most sophisticated analysis can significantly improve the trader's own or the trader's firm's bottom line. The slightest advantage in speed or ability to assimilate information can generate significant returns in a fast moving market. Therefore, in today's fast and dynamically changing markets, a trader lacking a technologically advanced interface is at a severe competitive disadvantage. Prior use of such programs is still an inadequate solution to handle the dynamics of such a fast moving market.